The Doctor and Willow return to New New York, this time bringing Martha along. Once again, there is something nefarious afoot.

***

After just narrowly surviving Queen Elizabeth's guards, the trio made their escape from the past and headed towards the future. Though the Doctor had a different future in mind. "Just one trip. That's what I said. One trip in the TARDIS, and then home. Although I suppose we could stretch the definition. Take one trip into the past, one trip into the future. How do you fancy that?"

"No complaints from me," answered Martha.

"What do you think, Willow?" he asked his fiancée. 

Willow appeared unsure, not knowing what to respond with. "I mean," she glanced over at Martha, waiting for her approval, "I guess it's only fair. Especially since the last trip was a disaster."

The Doctor smiled, as did Martha. However, Willow wasn't exactly sharing their joy. "How about a different planet?"

"Can we go to yours?" she requested.

He paused for a moment, thinking of an excuse. "Ah, there's plenty of other places."

"Come on, though. I mean, planet of the Timelords. That's got to be worth a look. What's it like?" wondered Martha.

"Well, it's beautiful, yeah." He mentioned.

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, tall spires and stuff?" she asked.

Thinking back, Willow remembered the beauty of her home planet. She never really saw much of the Citadel, but she always loved sneaking away with Koschei to see it. "Something like that."

Martha continued to imagine the beauty of Gallifrey. "Great big temples and cathedrals!"

"Yeah."

"Lots of planets in the sky?"

The Doctor smirked, a small twinkle in his eye. "The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever. Slopes of deep red grass capped with snow."

"Can we go there?" Martha asked.

The pair shared a concerned look, both knowing it wasn't possible. The Doctor didn't tell Rose about Gallifrey at first, and he didn't want to burden Martha with that knowledge either. "Nah. Where's the fun for us? We don't want to go home. Instead, this is much better." He pulled a lever, sending the TARDIS crew flying through space and time. "Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth. Second hope of mankind."

The TARDIS stopped, materialising in the future. The Doctor grabbed his jacket, slipping it back on as the girls followed him. "Fifty thousand light-years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."

Martha grinned, sprinting out of the doors. They were parked in an alleyway where it was pouring down with rain. She didn't exactly enjoy being soaked. "Oh, that's nice. Timelord version of dazzling."

The couple wandered out, experiencing the rain for themselves. "Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!"

They ran under a shelter, glimpsing at a monitor. "Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me, on a Wednesday afternoon."

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." He used his sonic screwdriver on the monitor, switching it on.

A young, blonde woman appeared on the screen. "And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway."

An image of the New New York they had seen last time appeared onscreen with flying cars and tall skyscrapers. "Oh, that's more like it. That's the view we had last time. This must be the lower levels, down in the base of the tower. Some sort of under-city."

Martha seemed repulsed. "You've brought me to the slums?"

"Much more interesting. It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city." The Doctor in an excited tone.

She chuckled. "You'd enjoy anything."

"That's me." The heavy rainfall began to slow down, the sky clearing. "Ah, the rain's stopping. Better and better."

"When you say last time, was that you two and Rose?" she queried.

Willow nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, it was."

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?"

"Well, blame him for the unoriginality." Willow insisted.

Although, the Doctor didn't see anything any problems. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing." She said before hissing through her teeth. "Just ever heard the word rebound?" 

As Martha wandered away from the two, Willow glared at him. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"Out of all the places we could have gone, you took us back to the place where I was possessed and almost killed by humanoid cats." She mentioned.

"Sorry, it was the only thing that came to mind." He asserted.

Abruptly, a stall opened, revealing a young man ready to sell something inside. "Oh! You should have said. How long you been there?" she addressed Martha who had been listening in on their conversation. "Happy. You want Happy."

More stalls opened, revealing two more market sellers. "Customers. Customers! We've got customers!"

"We're in business. Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read."

"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!"

"Anger. Buy some Anger!"

"Get some Mellow. Makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long."

"Don't go to them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"

"No, thanks." The Doctor responded.

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked.

He shook his head. "I think they're selling moods."

"Same thing, isn't it?"

Nearby, a young woman dressed in rags appeared, attracting the pharmacists' attention. "Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"

"Oi! Oi, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some Happy!"

"Come over here, yeah." A female pharmacist won the battle, the woman walking over to her. "And what can I get you, my love?"

"I want to buy Forget." She requested.

"I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much do you want forgetting?" she charged.

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway." The woman informed them.

She sighed, retrieving the woman's request. "Oh, that's a swine. Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's two credits."

The woman handed her some money, taking the mood patch from her. "Sorry, but hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?"

"They drove off." She told him.

"So, they might drive back," Willow suggested.

The woman shook her head. "Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them."

"But they can't have gone far. You could find them." She ignored the Doctor's pleas, putting the patch on her neck. "No. No, no, don't."

The moment it stuck to her skin, her demeanour changed. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway." He recounted to her.

Although, she appeared undistressed. "Are they? That's nice. I'm sorry, I won't keep you."

She quickly left, blissfully going on with her life without any memories of her parents. Martha was astonished. "So that's the human race five billion years in the future. Off their heads on chemicals."

However, before they could continue, a young man grabbed her from behind and began pulling her away. She screamed as another young woman pointed a gun at the Doctor and Willow. All the stalls closed their hatches as the man dragged Martha away, pleading. "I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all."

"No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go!" he shouted.

"Listen, whatever you need, we can help you! Please let her go!" Willow cried, not wanting to lose anyone else.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry." The woman apologised, yet still pointed her gun at them.

They escaped through a green door, locking it behind them. Willow chased after them, trying to pry open the door. "Shit! What do they want with her?!"

"I don't know!" The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver, managing to unlock it. The pair sprinted down the same direction as Martha's kidnappers, heading through a narrow passageway. They burst out of a door, reaching the backstreets.

Nevertheless, it was too late as the kidnappers had already taken Martha into their car and started to drive away. "Martha!" yelled the Doctor as they sped away.

There had to be something that they could do. They couldn't just let these people take Martha and get away with it.

With nothing left to lose, the couple headed back to the market stalls. "I knew something bad would happen. Something always does."

He ignored her, soon hammering on one of the closed hatches. The pharmacist opened it up, smiling when she saw they had returned. "Thought you'd come back. Do you want some happy Happy?"

"Those people, who were they? Where did they take her?" The Doctor questioned.

Another hatch opened up, the male pharmacist saying. "They've taken her to the motorway."

"Looked like carjackers to me." The first pharmacist told them.

A third hatch opened, the third pharmacist leaning out. "I'd give up now, darling. You won't see her again."

"Used to be thriving, this place. You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end." He remembered.

"What is it about this motorway?" wondered Willow.

"He kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean, three?" The Doctor queried.

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel." The pharmacist informed them. "You get special access if you're carrying three adults."

Then, he asked. "This motorway, how do we get there?"

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You canna miss it." She directed them. The pair started to walk away when the pharmacist suggested. "Tell you what. How about some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love."

The Doctor huffed, glaring at them. "Word of advice, all of you. Cash up, close down and pack your bags."

"Why's that, then?"

"Because as soon as we've found her, alive and well. And we will find her alive and well. Then I'm coming back, and this street is closing tonight!" The Doctor took Willow's hand, storming down another alleyway to find this mysterious motorway.

***

They reached a lay-by, the Doctor unlocking the door and stepping through. Willow followed in his wake, swiftly choking on exhaust fumes. There were thousands of cars, all lined against each other. How were they going to find Martha in all of these cars?

The couple continued to choke, the fumes poisoning their bodies until a nearby car opened its door. From inside, a humanoid male cat wearing a WWII jacket and helmet with a white scarf wrapped around his face yelled to them. "Hey! You daft little street struts. What are you doing standing there? Either get out or get in. Come on!"

Taking a chance, the Doctor and Willow jumped onboard. The Irish cat closed the door behind them. "Did you ever see the like?"

Willow gasped for breath, as did the Doctor. A young woman in the front seat handed them an oxygen mask. "Here you go." He gave it to Willow first, helping her breathe.

"Just standing there, breathing it in." The cat removed his scarf and goggles, sitting back down in the driver's seat. "There's this story, says back in the old days, on Junction forty-seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet."

"Oh, you're making it up!"

"A fifty-foot head! Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose."

"Oh, stop it. That's disgusting."

"What, did you never pick your nose?"

The Doctor was still coughing, but he wanted Willow to have enough air first. The woman looked out of her dirty car window. "Bran, we're moving."

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it." As the car began to move slightly, cool oxygen filled Willow's bodily systems once more. Then, once she had enough, Willow gave the Doctor the oxygen mask to help him. "Twenty yards. We're having a good day. And who might you be, sir? Very well-dressed for hitchhikers."

"Thank you," Willow exhaled. "I'm Willow and this is the Doctor."

"Medical man! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie." They introduced themselves.

"Nice to meet you," said Valerie.

"And that's the rest of the family behind you." The Doctor and Willow turned towards the back of the car.

He removed his oxygen mask, the couple pulling back a curtain to reveal a basket full of kittens. "Ah, that's nice. Hello." 

Willow picked up a white one whilst the Doctor took a black and white kitten in his hands. She raised her eyebrows, noticing how comfortable he seemed around them. "I thought you weren't a cat person."

"Not when they're this adorable." He muttered. "How old are they?"

"Just two months," Valerie told them.

Brannigan lamented. "Poor little souls. They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway."

Both the Doctor and Willow stared at him in confusion. "What, they were born in here?"

"We couldn't stop," Valerie explained. "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

She squinted. "You've been driving for two months? The journey's that long?" 

"Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now." Brannigan familiarised.

Their eyes widened. "I'm sorry?"

"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds." He turned to Valerie. "Feels like yesterday."

"Feels like twelve years to me."

"Ah, sweetheart, but you still love me." Brannigan playfully flirted with her as the Doctor and Willow attempted to comprehend how a single trip could take over twelve years.

The Doctor asked. "Twelve years? How far did you come? Where did you start?"

"Battery Park. It's five miles back." He told him.

"Wait, five miles in twelve years? That doesn't make sense." Willow thought as the two put the kittens back in the basket.

Brannigan eyed his wife. "I think they're a bit slow."

"Where are you from?" queried Valerie.

"Never mind that. We've got to get out. Our friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. We should get back to the TARDIS." As the Doctor opened the door, the exhaust fumes began to choke them again.

Although, they were too far away from the lay-by now, meaning they couldn't return to the backstreets as planned. "You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by. You're passengers now."

"Well, we'll get off at the next lay-by," suggested Willow. "When's that?"

He hesitated. "Oh, six months?"

The couple collectively sighed, realising that it was going to be a long ride. Not just for them, but for Martha too.

***

Willow sat by the kittens, cradling some of them as the Doctor hacked into their communications. "I need to talk to the police."

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." It said.

He squinted. "But you're the police."

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." It repeated.

"Wow, even the last resort doesn't work." Willow retorted.

They only called the police in dire circumstances, ones that seemed impossible to escape. However, if the police were no use, who else was there?

The Doctor put the communicator down, facing Brannigan and Valerie again. "Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan. Is there any way of getting through to him?"

He laughed. "Oh now, ain't you lordly?"

"We've got to find our friend." said the Doctor.

"You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed." Valerie described to them.

"Haven't you communicated with any other cars?" Willow wondered.

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah. Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends' list. Now, let's see. Who's nearby?" Brannigan scrolled through his contact list. "Ah, the Cassini sisters!" 

The Doctor and Willow joined them by the front seat as Brannigan established communication with them. "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here."

"Get off the line, Brannigan. You're a pest and a menace." The voice of an elderly woman said.

"Oh, come on, now, sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"

"You know full well we're not sisters. We're married."

"Ooo, stop that modern talk. I'm an old-fashioned cat." He quipped. "Now, I've got two hitchhikers here, calls themselves the Doctor and Willow."

He handed the Doctor the communicator. "Hello. Sorry, we're looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but we don't know which one."

Another elderly woman came on the line. "Wait a minute. Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"

"Where were we?" Willow asked Brannigan.

"Pharmacy Town."

"Pharmacy Town about twenty minutes ago." He spoke.

"Let's have a look."

"Just my luck to marry a car-spotter." The elderly woman remarked.

Willow smiled, leaning over to speak. "Yeah, and I'm engaged to a stupid genius."

"Oi!" The Doctor said.

"What? I'm not wrong." She mentioned.

The other elderly woman spoke again. "In the last half hour, fifty-three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction."

"Anything more specific?"

"All in good time." She said. "Was she car-jacked by two people?"

"Yes, she was, yeah." The Doctor answered. 

It seemed to have done the trick as the elderly Cassini told them. "There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And car number is four-six five-diamond six."

"That's it! So how do we find them?"

"Ah. Now there I'm afraid I can't help."

"Then we can just call them then," Willow proposed.

Brannigan disagreed. "But not if they're designated fast lane. It's a different class."

"You could try the police." The elderly woman recommended, even though they had already tried that.

"They put me on hold." He told them.

"You'll have to keep trying." The first Cassini spoke. "There's no one else."

The Doctor huffed. "Thank you."

Although they had managed to get closer to where Martha was, the pair still had no clue on how to find her. It appeared almost impossible when there were hundreds of cars around them.

After a few minutes of thinking the Doctor made a decision. "We've got to go to the fast lane. Take us down."

"Not a million years!" Brannigan protested.

"Yeah, well, now we have more than three passengers. That means we can go." Willow surmised.

"I'm still not going."

Yet, the Doctor still pleaded. "She's alone and she's lost. She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan, take us down."

Nonetheless, Valerie denied them. "That's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there."

The moment she uttered those words, the Doctor and Willow instantly knew that something else was going on. "Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?"

"We're not discussing it. The conversation is closed." She stated.

"So we keep on driving."

"Yes, we do."

"For how long?"

"Till the journey's end!"

"Bit dramatic, isn't it?" Willow grabbed the communicator, speaking to the Cassinis once again. "Hey, Mrs Cassini, this is Willow. I was just wondering how long you two have been driving on the motorway?"

"Oh, we were amongst the first. It's been twenty-three years now." She informed her.

"So, in twenty-three years, have you ever actually seen a police car?" Her question seemed to have caused some unexpected surprise. 

The other Cassini started to mumble in shock. "I'm not sure..."

"Well, you're the car spotter, so have there actually been any police cars or ambulances? There would have had to be a few incidents here." She theorised.

"I can't keep a note of everything." She affirmed.

Willow's lips quivered, her tone of voice was cold. "I bet everyone keeps being put on hold because there's no one out there to help."

The communicator was soon snatched away by Brannigan. "Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favour."

"But Willow's got a point." The Doctor added, though noticeably scared by Willow's theory. "Someone's got to ask because you might not talk about it, but it's there in your eyes. What if the traffic jam never stops?"

"There's a whole city above us. The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us." He justified.

"Are you sure about that?" Willow queried. "What if you never get out of here? No one will come to help and everyone will just keep going round in circles forever-"

Valerie interrupted her in distressed anger. "Shut up! Just shut up!"

The monitor switched on, the same blonde woman from earlier spoke. "This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."

"You think you know us so well, you two. But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other." Brannigan stated.

"This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe." Music began, flooding the entire motorway and joining the passengers together as one.

Brannigan and Valerie began to sing. "On a hill, far away, stood an old, rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame. And I love that old cross, where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain."

The only ones who did not sing were the Doctor and Willow, but they realised that every person stuck on the motorway had hope. So did they.

"So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies, at last, I lay down. I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown."

If Brannigan and Valerie weren't going to take them to Martha, they had to find another way. "If you won't take us, we'll go down on our own."

He grabbed his sonic screwdriver, kneeling on the floor and scanning a trap door. "What do you think you're doing?" questioned Brannigan.

"Finding my own way. I usually do." The Doctor sonicked the trap door, opening the hatch to reveal the cars below.

"Capsule open." The computer announced.

"You never cease to amaze me with your utter stupidity." Willow quipped. "And that was a compliment by the way."

A car stopped directly beneath them, giving them the chance to leave Brannigan and Valerie's car. "Here we go." The Doctor removed his coat, throwing it to Valerie. "Look after this." As he was about to descend, he took one last glance at it. "I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

"When did she do that?" Willow asked with a flash of envy in her eyes.

"It was before I met you, don't fret about it." He advised.

"But you can't jump," Valerie declared.

He exhaled. "If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, I'm having kittens."

"This Martha," Brannigan spoke. "She must mean an awful lot to you both."

"Hardly know her. I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied." The Doctor admitted. "Bye then."

It was then that he jumped, landing on the car below. "See you then!" Willow shouted as she leapt down as well. She settled beside the Doctor as he unlocked the trap door of the car. "Okay, I'll admit it. Travelling with you was one of the best decisions of my life. This is way more exciting than sneaking out of the house."

Once opened, the computer said. "Capsule open."

They clamoured inside, the exhumes choking them again. Inside was a driver who clearly adored the colour white. "Who the hell are you?" he questioned.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. We're doing a survey. How are you enjoying your motorway?" The Doctor excused as he tried to pry the other trap door open.

"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years." He informed them.

The trap door unlocked. "Thank you. Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day!"

They both dropped down to the next car, still coughing up carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. "Capsule open."

The two passed swiftly through it, taking the notes of two young woman in the front seats. "Thank you for your cooperation. Your comments have been noted. Do you mind if we borrow this?" He took two bandanas, offering one to Willow as a mask to avoid choking to death outside. His was a dark bluish-purple whilst Willow's was a bright yellow. "Not my colour, but thank you very much."

They dropped to the next car, Willow mentioning. "Now we really do look like highwaymen."

Once again, the Doctor unlocked the capsule door and jumped inside. The passengers, to their surprise, were completely nude. "Ooo! Don't mind us." The pair quickly avoided them, opening the trap door and falling through. 

The pattern continued for a while until the Doctor and Willow finally reached the last car, right before the lower levels where the fast lane was. They dropped in, startling a smartly dressed man inside. "Excuse me, is that legal?"

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. Whatever. Have you got any water?" The Doctor and Willow pulled their masks down, exhausted.

"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners." The man poured them two cups of water, handing them to the new passengers.

"Are we at the last layer? Right above the fast lane?" Willow asked as she chugged the clear liquid down her throat.

"We're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane." He answered.

The Doctor inquired. "Can we drive down?"

"I'd rather not."

"Why? There's three of us."

"Look, I'm exactly comfortable with trespassers in my car and... I'm not exactly fond of what's below us." He confessed.

"What is below us?" wondered the Doctor.

"I don't know, but I try not to think about it." He stated. The Doctor knelt on the floor, unlocking the hatch. "You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down."

It opened up, giving the Doctor a chance to see what was below. "No, I just want to look."

There were a few soft growls outside that didn't sound like cars. Willow joined him, noticing some red lights shining in the mist. "There's definitely something down there."

The Doctor jumped up, using his sonic on the car's monitor to override its system. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze."

He began to rip its insides out, configuring with wires. Willow stared down at the foggy fast lane, faintly seeing something claw at the mist. "Whatever it is, it's not friendly."

As she watched, the Doctor managed to connect some wires which created a small spark. "That's it! Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."

He returned to the open hatch, observing as the fog cleared. The man joined them as they saw more clearly what they were up against. "What are those shapes?"

"They're alive." The Doctor uttered.

Giant crabs clawed at them, attempting to reach their car to limited success. "What the hell are they?"

"Macra." He asserted.

"But I thought they had all gone extinct." Willow believed.

"I thought that too." The Doctor explained. "The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy. Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

The man mentioned. "They don't exactly look like empire builders to me."

"Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions. They must have devolved down the years. Now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and our friend's down there."

There was a sudden clang on the roof, alerting them to the presence of a fourth person. "Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!"

"We've invented a sport." The Doctor joked.

A cat-woman dressed in grey dropped down, meeting the Doctor's eyes. "Doctor, you're a hard man to find."

"No guns. I'm not having guns!" The man bellowed.

"I only brought this in case of pirates." She told him. "Doctor, you've got to come with me."

"Do I know you?"

"You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me."

"Novice Hame!" He pulled her in for a hug before quickly breaking away upon remembering what she had done. "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself." She spoke. It was then that she noticed Willow standing nearby, her eyes widening. "You!"

Novice Hame aimed her gun at Willow in anger. "No, wait!"

"You ruined everything!" She was about to fire when the Doctor stopped her.

He lowered her gun. "She's not a threat. Willow was possessed by a woman called Cassandra, that's why she did all that stuff. She didn't mean any of it."

"And I'm really sorry for everything she did," said Willow. "If I could go back and stop it, I would."

She sighed. "Apologies, miss."

"And anyway, we're not going anywhere." He informed Hame. "You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if our friend's still alive, she's stuck down there."

"You've got to come with me right now."

"No, we need to go and help Martha!" Willow cried.

"I'm sorry, but the situation is even worse than you can imagine." Novice Hame latched onto the Doctor and Willow's wrist. "Transport."

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" He screamed.

However, it was too late and the pair were taken away from the motorway. The trio landed in a dark space that was faintly lit. Beams of light shot through, blinding Willow as she speedily recovered from being teleported. "Oh! Rough teleport. Ow." The Doctor stood back on his feet, lording over Hame. "You can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha."

"I only had the power for one trip." She revealed.

"Then get some more! Where are we?"

"High above, in the over-city."

"Good. Because you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They have got thousands of people trapped on the motorway. Millions!"

"But you're inside the Senate, right now," Hame confessed before pressing a button on her wrist. "May the goddess Santori bless them."

The lights flickered on, revealing rows upon rows of the dead. It was completely barren, everyone had wasted away. The Doctor and Willow soon understood what the real problem with New Earth was. "They died, Doctor. The city died."

"How long has it been?" pondered Willow.

"Twenty four years." She asserted.

They couldn't comprehend it, it almost seemed impossible for an entirely new race of humans to die so quickly. "All of them? Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss. Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop." Hame pointed it out on a skeleton, the patch illuminated by the light. "A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished. Even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, they were saved."

"But people are still dying down there." Willow addressed. "If the virus had died long ago then those people should be free."

Novice Hame shook her head. "There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."

"We?"

The Doctor added. "Who's we? How did you survive?"

"He protected me. And he has waited for you, these long years." She said.

"Doctor." A voice spoke from the darkness.

His eyes widened, recognising it. "The Face of Boe!"

He ran behind a curtain, shortly followed by Willow and Novice Hame. He looked exactly the same as he did all those years ago, though it had only been a year since the Doctor last saw him. "I knew you would come. Both of you."

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse as penance for my sin." She told them.

The Doctor approached the glass casing around his massive head. "Old friend, what happened to you?"

"Failing." He sighed. 

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea."

"So he saved them."

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running."

"Couldn't you have called for help from other planets?" queried Willow.

Hame shook her head. "The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."

Willow crossed her arms. "So you've both been up here, on your own. Just maintaining the under-city?"

"We had no choice."

"Yes, you did." The Doctor acknowledged.

"Save them, Doctor." The Face of Boe breathed heavily. "Save them."

They immediately went to work, now possessing the ability to unlock the motorway and release those trapped there. The Doctor managed to get a computer working. "Car four-six five-diamond six. It still registers! That's Martha. I knew she was good. Novice Hame, hold that in place. Think, think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity grid."

The women did what he told them to do, Novice Hame holding a large wire in place as Willow helped configure the energy fields. "There isn't enough power."

"Oh, you've got power. You've got me. I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch."

"I don't call you a stupid genius for nothing," Willow remarked.

"Hame, every switch on that bank up to maximum. I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people." The Doctor affirmed. 

"So what are you going to do?" Hame asked.

"This!" He grabbed a large switch, pulling it down. Instead of giving power back to the people, the lights blacked out. The Doctor sprinted back over to the computer, sonicking some wires. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no."

Willow huffed, rubbing her forehead. "That's not supposed to happen is it."

"The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through." He mentioned.

"Doctor."

"Yeah, hold on, not now."

"I give you my last..." Slowly, the Face of Boe exhaled. Somehow, his breath managed to bring the power back on to the surprise and glee of the trio.

"Hame, look after him. Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this. The open road. Ha!" The Doctor pulled the lever once again, freeing everybody on the motorway and in the under-city. 

Meanwhile, Willow hijacked the communications of every car to release an important message. "Sorry, no Sally Calypso. She was just a hologram, apologies to those who fawned over her. My name's Willow and I'm here to tell you to drive up because the sun is shining and you're never going to use the motorway again."

"You should be a weatherwoman!" The Doctor yelled from nearby.

"Can it!" She shouted to him. "Car four-six five-diamond six. Martha! Drive up!"

They switched the camera off, the Doctor and Willow managing to contact Brannigan and Valerie again. "Did I tell you, you two? You're not bad! You're not bad at all! Oh, yee-hah!"

"You keep driving, Brannigan. All the way up. Because it's here, just waiting for you. The city of New New York, and it's yours. And don't forget I want that coat back." The Doctor ordered.

"I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir." He answered.

"And car four-six five-diamond six, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate." He requested, establishing contact with them.

"On my way," Martha replied.

They watched the sunrise outside, many cars zooming through the skyscrapers. "It's been quite a while since we saw you, Martha Jones."

"Doctor!" Novice Hame cried. The pair turned, regarding that the Face of Boe's glass casing was beginning to crack. 

***

After being dropped off at the Senate, Martha rushed inside. Her excitement faded quickly when she noticed all of the skeletons around her. "Doctor? Willow?"

"Over here." He uttered.

She grinned, happy to see her friends again. "Doctor! What happened out there?" It was then that she saw the Doctor, Willow and Novice Hame sitting beside the Face of Boe who was now out of his tank and dying. "What's that?"

"It's the Face of Boe. It's all right. Come and say hello." He gestured, Martha slowly stepping towards them. "And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry. He's the one that saved you, not me."

With tears in her eyes, Hame spoke. "My lord gave his life to save the city, and now he's dying."

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left."

The Face of Boe conversed telepathically to them. "It's good to breathe the air once more."

"It's better than being on the motorway, I must say." Willow described.

"Who is he?" asked Martha.

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."

"Everything has its time. You know that old friend, better than most." said Boe.

"The legend says more." Hame started.

"What is it?" Willow queried.

"Don't. There's no need for that."

Nonetheless, Hame retold it. "It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller."

He smirked a little. "Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?"

"But the legend is incorrect." He informed them. "I will speak my final secret to, not one, but two travellers." His sentence caught Willow's attention, realising his message was for her too. "I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours, Doctor and Willow."

Finally, Martha discerned the truth as to why they did not take her to see Gallifrey. The Doctor and Willow ignored this though. "That's why we have to survive. The three of us. Don't go." He pleaded.

"I must. But know this, Timelord. You are not alone." His last secret was one that neither the Doctor nor Willow could understand, yet it still sent a chill down their spines.

As the Face of Boe closed his eyes for the last time, Novice Hame wept for her fallen friend. She had looked after him for so long, it was hard to let him go even now. The Face of Boe had died a hero, saving those trapped below. They all knew he would not be forgotten.

***

The Doctor, Willow and Martha made their way back to the under-city where the market stalls had ultimately closed for good. "All closed down."

"Happy?" Martha wondered.

"Happy happy." He responded. "New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs. Cats in charge. Come on, time we were off."

She squinted, thinking about the Face of Boe's last message. "But what did he mean, the Face of Boe? You're not alone."

"I wish we knew," Willow mentioned, lying slightly. "I'd like to know."

"You've got me. Is that what he meant?" she asked.

The Doctor denied it. "I don't think so. Sorry."

"Then what?"

"Doesn't matter." He shrugged. "Back to the TARDIS, off we go."

Although, Martha did not move, instead, snatching a foldable chair and sitting down. The pair glanced back in confusion. "All right, are you staying?"

She crossed her arms, a stern look on her face. "Till you talk to me properly, yes. He said last of your kind. What does that mean?"

"It's really nothing to worry about, Martha," Willow advised her. "Honestly, it's nothing."

"You don't talk. You never say. Why not?" Abruptly, the city began to chime above their heads. A soft melody wandered through the air. "It's the city. They're singing."

The three calmed themselves, the Doctor gazing at Willow in consideration. She nodded, quickly apprehending that he wanted to be truthful with her. "I lied to you because I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky."

"I could imagine that my father was at home, working on a silly invention as he waited for me to return." Willow thought, remembering him fondly.

They joined hands, sitting down on two discarded boxes. "We're not just Timelords. We're the last of the Timelords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."

"What happened?" she questioned.

Gallifrey may not have been the best planet in the universe, but it was the most beautiful out of all of them. "There was a war. A Time War. The Last Great Time War. Our people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. Our family, our friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song."

"I have to admit, even though I don't really consider it my home anymore, I miss it." Willow declared, a small tear coming to her eye.

They continued to talk as the choir of New New York sang, the residents of the motorway now free to do whatever they wanted with their lives. Everything was the way it should be, humanity continued. And it was all thanks to the Face of Boe.

***

I can't believe I managed to complete this in one day. I know this didn't feature as much Willow action but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. 

I did make Willow's character a lot darker here, reflecting the dangerous path she's about to head down. Believe me when I say that I'm going to break your hearts later in this book. That is my main aim, and I am very sorry!

See you for the next chapter which is another interlude by the way, but then Daleks in Manhatten/Evolution of the Daleks will be released after. 

- Alice ❤